Black Claws and Red Dots
by ElizabeththeLast
Summary: A mysterious young woman, dubbed The Red Lady, shows up one evening in a town near the center of the kingdom. The villagers are wary, but allow her to stay if she hunts a wolf that has been attacking people nearby. She agrees, but there is more going on than the villagers could ever know. [A Medieval-Fantasy-Werewolf!AU]
1. Chapter 1

Her boots were caked with mud. She hated that. Red had always wished to look pristine, though she knew it was near impossible now. Fruitlessly, she knocked the heels of her boots together to try to shake off some of the dried dirt, but her shoes still stayed more brown than black in their coloring. Scowling to herself, she tugged her bright red hood tighter over her dark berry-blue hair and wished for luck and better times. All along the road, she had seen soldiers patrolling. She never should have gotten this close to the castle in the first place, and now she could only hope that it had been long enough since she was last there for people to forget her face. But she was sure there were still a few people that knew of her here. And it did not help that she cloaked herself completely in the bright color of blood and roses, which had given her the easily remember moniker of "The Red Lady".

Finally catching sight of the castle looming in the distance, through the trees, Red cursed to herself. She never should have let that soldier guide her onto the main path towards the castle keep. Yet, she knew she was highly lucky that he had believed her to be a rich merchant's daughter instead of a dangerous rogue. If _that_ was believed, things would have gotten messy. And deep down, Red was curious to know why so many of the king's men were on the road. Of course, it could be some silly reason. She always thought King André to be a fool.

Deciding that she had gone far enough towards the center of the kingdom, she turned at the next road, which lead left into the forest and towards a rather odd gathering of houses, nestled half between trees and half in open space. Another show of the dull-headedness of the royal family was the fact that they had built their castle in the middle of a large wood, with few barriers to keep it from attack. She was surprised the King was still able to keep his small kingdom thriving and in his family's hands. Nonetheless, Red stood observing the small town from the very edge of its limits. Lights were starting to be seen in windows, and she stared straight at the inn, one of the few distinguished buildings gathered at the town's center. Daylight was ending and she had no hope but to find a village to stay the night in. She hoped this one would do.

Straightening her black and red jacket, and then her red cloak, she began to march straight towards the inn. Most people were never that friendly to a traveler that looked like her. She hoped this inskeep would be different. When she entered the inn, she could tell immediately that this was not going to be easy when quite a few eyes turned to her. She could also tell that most people here were residents of the town from the way the volume of chatter lowered just a bit upon seeing an outsider. Red bit the inside of her lip, but marched up to the bar anyways, and to the presumed owner of the establishment. "How much does it cost to stay here?" Her voice was strong and confident. The rest of the voices in the room lowered another notch.

The man behind the counter raised his eyebrow at her. He looked slightly suspicious and not at all worried by her assertiveness. "And who are you?"

She folded her arms. "You can call me Red."

His eyebrow floated higher and he laughed slightly, unamused. "Sorry, but I do not serve nameless travelers."

"Then you can call me Tikki," she sighed, but did not let up. "How much does it cost to stay here?"

The innkeeper still observed her warily, and then after a moment of indecision, he turned away. "Apologies miss, but the inn is full. There is no room for you."

She growled slightly under her breath and retorted sharply. "It is not!"

He turned back around to glare at her. "Yes, it is."

Red's fists gripped together angrily. Before she did anything though; not that she would have; an elderly man got up from a table nearby and came slowly over, smiling at the two of them kindly. "Now Otis, I believe this young woman could do something for us. Tikki, is it? Or do you prefer Red?"

Slightly taken aback, she answered quietly. "Either is fine."

The man continued with a smile. "Well then, I assume you are a highly skilled traveler. And a good fighter too, yes?" She nodded, though she felt slightly suspicious herself.

The elderly man smiled at her still and turned back to the inskeep, Otis. "Well then, I believe this young lady here could assist us with Noir."

Otis raised both his eyebrows at the stooped old man, and Red only just realized that the inn had gone relatively silent because, all of a sudden, people started murmuring again.

She turned her gaze from Otis towards the old man. "Who is Noir? And what do you need done?"

Before the old man could speak, another man, from across the room stood up and spoke in his place. "Noir is a wolf that has been attacking the surrounding villages and killing innocents. He is the reason for the increased amount of soldiers on the roads. And I believe that you have the right to stay here as long as you like if you can hunt him down and kill him for us."

She heard a few more murmurs throughout the crowd across the room; a few of those murmurs sounding like agreement. Quickly, she turned her head first to the elderly man, and then to the innkeeper. Otis frowned at her, then sighed and cast his gaze to the side. "If you kill that beast, I will gladly give you bed and board here. Though it will not come completely free."

Red glanced around the room once again, indecisive. The soldiers would be on the roads for a long time, according to what these villagers said. She did not feel much like hunting down a terrifying beast. But if it was her only option… She nodded to herself and then spoke again. "Alright then. I will hunt this wolf. How much for a room?"

 **A/N: Hi again guys! Wow, so I'm really excited for this story. I may not be able to update very often, but I promise that this story will definitely be longer chapter-wise than my other short fanfictions on here! I can't wait to share it all with you; I have it all planned out, I just need to find time each week to write it. And I'm happy to say that this will have a complete ending, unlike some of my previous fics** **(it may even have a sequel, but I'm getting way too ahead of myself right now)** **. I hope you enjoy this, and see you soon! I'd love to hear about any theories you have. ; )**

 **(Oh, and if you do enjoy my writing, it would be a big help to me if you went to my profile page and copied the link to fill out a short poll about my other fanfic that I'm prepping right now. It will help me to write an even longer fanfic in the near future! Thanks, and sorry for the long A/N compared to this short chapter.)**


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, she woke up in a barely comfortable bed that had quite a lack of blankets for it being the beginning of winter. It seemed that the innkeeper was still worried enough about her to set her up in the worst room. She quickly pulled on her clothes, fastened her cloak, grabbed her satchel, and headed out into the day. Most of her time was spent asking various villagers for information on the wolf, but she was also observing the village itself. She might be here a while, if the townsfolk let her stay, that is. After a few hours of being ignored or told nothing, she was surprised to hear her name, or what it had become.

"Miss Tikki! Lady Red! There you are, I have been looking everywhere for you. You sure get up early. I could never wake up so soon."

Red turned her gaze towards a young woman, slightly younger than she was. Her hair was long and a coppery red-brown, and her eyes were a lovely greeny bronze. She smiled widely at Red, though she looked tired from sprinting across the, albeit small, town.

"Who are you?" Red asked.

"Alya!" The young lady chirped. "I'm the daughter of the innkeeper. And I assumed you may want some help locating Noir! I've written some theories in my journals."

As she said this, Alya grabbed three small journals from a large pocket in her apron to show to Red. But before the adventurer could respond in any fashion, the girl grabbed her by the wrist and began talking again as she lead her back the way she had come. "Here, let's go somewhere where we can sit down and I can explain these to you. What's your name by the way? The people from the inn didn't say one way or the other. Although-" She stopped suddenly and turned to face Red, still with a large grin on her face. "Is it true that you are _The_ Red Lady? I mean, no one has said it, but that would be _my_ theory. I mean, you are, yes? You have the aesthetic, and you are said to be a fighter."

Red was slightly taken aback. "I do not know what you are talking about."

Alya still grinned as she turned around and continued to lead Red on. "Yes you do. You _are_ The Red Lady. Ah! I knew it."

After a few minutes, they ended up back near the inn, and Alya led Red through a door in the small house that was scrunched up right next to that larger building. It was dark, yet warm inside, and seemingly empty. Upon closer inspection though, two small girls were snuggled up and snoring softly on a bed across the room. Alya led her to a table, and spoke only slightly softer. "No need to worry. They would sleep through an approaching army if it was before eleven in the morning! Hah! But, what should I call you? You never told me."

Red smiled slightly. "I do not care. But I _would_ like to see the information you have on the wolf. It would be quite helpful."

"Alright then," the young woman replied as she opened her notebooks. "So the wolf pretty much only comes out at night, like you would expect, I guess. There have been some signs of him during the day though. And most of the attacks seem to happen very late at night. Usually, we assume they occur quite deep in the forest; that is where bodies are found. Sometimes he has attacked closer to the villages. Usually it is the drunkards, travelers, or late-night hunters that get harmed or killed. I think shooting at him with a bow and arrow from long distance would work better. Those who went up against him with a sword died; those with a bow and arrow were only harmed, and sometimes there was blood spilled that was not their own." Alya paused for a moment and looked across her pages of notes. Then she glanced back up at Red and smiled quickly before continuing in a more enthusiastic tone. "And, finally, I have a theory that he is a magical creature of some sort. He only comes out at specific times, and the people have described him as being larger than most wolves with an odd pattern on his chest as well as odd colorings to his fur. And that would be all I know! Will it help you?"

Red watched Alya carefully for a few minutes more. The girl held her gaze, though awkwardly, as she leaned back her chair and almost fell to the ground. Then Red nodded. "Yes, that is very helpful, thank you."

And with that, she stood up and walked out of the house, back to her room to prepare her hunt.

 **A/N: Hullo, back with another chapter! I'm glad to have Alya play a more prominent role in this story; I have always really liked her. There will be more characters in this story from the actual show too! Hope you enjoy, and review if you'd like! I'll be back with another chapter hopefully soon- the story will start to get more interesting, I promise. Chapters will be longer too.**


	3. Chapter 3

No matter the thin layer of snow and the cold of the forest, Red was only wearing her pale, long-sleeved blouse, red and black jacket, and leather pants now. Call her an old-fashioned hunter, but she was quite certain that a bright red cloak would frighten some animals away. It was currently tucked away in her bag. And though it had hid helpful weapons like daggers and slingshots before, she was never very good at aiming a bow and arrow with it on. And it was true, she might be more likely to be shot with an arrow from some other wandering hunter, but if this Noir truly was a magical creature, she would prefer to sneak up on him. No red cloak would help her against a beast or a faerie. Part of her recognized her own brazen self-confidence, but it was something she had begun to accept since her days before wandering the kingdom's roads. She had learned to be foolish and brash. It was what kept both her and her enemies on their toes.

She had been tracking this Noir for a few days now. She found it easier to follow his tracks in early morning or right before night set in, when they were still seemingly fresh. While Alya's information had been helpful to start off with, Red had found that the beast did in fact still wander in the woods during the early morning. This had been more helpful than anything in tracking him down, since she had found that he stayed in about the same place every morning before his tracks disappeared from the woods. Today, she was finally ready to face him.

Already, Red was deep in the heart of the forest, but the trees here were not tightly clustered like most woods. The town, back a few miles and clustered among the trees, began to make more sense to her. This forest was so sparse that they did not need to put in the effort to cut down very much of the greenery to create an adequate village. And because of the amount of space between the trees, here she was, hunting in bright daylight, made even brighter by the bit of snow underfoot that reflected the light back at her. Up ahead, on a slight crest of a hill and into a slightly more dense part of the forest, she saw something moving. Narrowing her eyes, and tilting her head upwards, Red could barely make out a dark shape, followed by an odd purple-ish shine. She squinted as she made her way closer, inwardly grumbling about the snow's effect on her vision, and outwardly notching her arrow onto the bowstring.

A sudden movement from the dark shape, and she shot an arrow where it had been without thinking. Silently cursing herself, she notched another arrow and jogged up the small hill to where she had shot. Her arrow had hit a tree, but nothing else. She turned right, in the direction the dark shape had taken off in, and hurried along, stepping carefully. If this truly was Noir, she just made her job a hell of a lot harder than it could have been. And it seemed like it was, since, even though the prints were absurdly light, she could see the outlines of paws in the snow path she was hurrying along.

Suddenly, ahead of her, she saw the dark shape leap out from among the trees, and she raised her bow. The creature turned its head towards her, and this time she could make out its features perfectly. It was indeed _the_ wolf, and it was indeed a _large_ wolf, almost the size of a small bear. Even from this distance, she could tell that the wolf's eyes were a bright, unnatural green, and there was an almost purple, smoky sheen to his coat.

It was obvious the wolf saw her, but it made no movement to run, or to attack her. He simply stared. And Red stared back. She was not quite sure if she could fire her bow in time if it moved to attack her. Seeing those eyes, there was something so unnaturally human about them that made her want to lay down her weapon and walk away. She had not felt so unsure about herself since she was young. The last time she had hesitated like this, she had not been the Red Lady. She had been just a lady in pink.

When the wolf did move, Red did not. He turned completely towards her, walked a few steps, and then sat down in the snow. His head turned just slightly, in a way that made the creature look more like a puppy than a giant, ferocious wolf. After a few moments, Red did lower her bow and unnotch her arrow. But she did not walk away. She took two steps forward and sat down in the snow, only a few meters away from the wolf, her bow resting in her lap. And then she began to talk.

"You're like me, aren't you? A bright bit of green cloaked in layers of black fur, like the tiny bit of good you once were, piled upon with your wrong deeds. I understand. A pale face would make many think a girl is like a soft, snow white rabbit, free from any evil, but that is not me. I wear a cloak of blood red for a reason. Much blood has been spilled on it."

The wolf simply stared back at her, but she could still see the human in its eyes, and it was like she was talking to her own species, and so she continued.

"Everything has a balance though. Not many people realize that. Even the white-furred rabbit has red eyes. Even the green-fleshed toad has eyes of coal. Not everything is void of evil, and not everything is void of good. You're like me, you still have good inside you, I can see it in your eyes."

She let the silence of the woods flood the place where her words once were. The wolf still looked at her, and she could see fragments of emotions in its eyes. Was that curiosity? Grief? Confusion? After a few more minutes of silence, she stood up and slung her bow over her shoulder. "Goodbye, Kitten. I will not harm you today."

And she was gone in a split second, as though she was a faerie who flitted off on tiny wings. The wolf blinked, as though dazed, and then stumbled to its feet and left as well.

 **A/N: Hi guys! Sorry again for the lack of updates. School just got** ** _real_** **for me, and it's hard to keep up with this among a million other things. Hopefully there won't be any absences as long as this one anytime soon. I'm pretty close to being done with the fourth chapter, so it should be up by the end of the week. But, that's about it, sorry the chapters are still kinda short, and sorry if the metaphors tire you out. Hope you enjoy the introduction of Noir though! I'd love to hear your thoughts so far. See ya!**


	4. Chapter 4

Red had hunted in the forest for the rest of the day, spending her time thinking among the quiet trees and snow. As she came back into town, two rabbits slung over her shoulder for the Césaires, she stopped in surprise. There was the inskeep, sitting on a log at the edge of the forest, and sharing a bit of meat with a fox. After a moment, the fox scampered off, and Red walked quickly by Otis. Later, she spoke to Alya, who had become rather friendly in the days Red had been staying at the inn.

"For a man who so desperately wants that wolf dead, your father is kinder with animals than most," Red mused out into the open air while they skinned the rabbits.

Alya glanced over at her. "Most creatures in the forest have not killed his friends."

The two of them sat in quiet until a young man came walking up to them. Red had seen him once or twice before, talking with Alya in the tavern, but she had not caught his name yet. He nodded politely at the two of them, and then addressed Alya personally. "Lady Alya, I hope you're doing well. I just wanted to thank you for patching my shirt. And my mother wanted me to thank you for buying food for the family while she's sick in bed. She hopes she can repay you soon."

"Of course, Nino, it was no problem. Send my regards to your mother. And I'll see you around, yes?"

"Of course you'll see me around, Fox." The young man gave her a wink as he turned and strolled off.

Alya gazed at the young man's back as a dazed smile stretched across her face. Red raised her eyebrows at her friend. "He called you 'Lady'."

Alya broke a bit out of her daze. "Yeah. Isn't he sweet? He wants to propose to me, but he needs to get my father's blessing first, and he's a bit too scared to do that yet." She smiled at Red. "But don't you go telling anyone, miss."

"Of course not." After a few more minutes, Red clarified. "So you two are…?"

Alya gave a mischievous grin as she replied. "Of course! How else do you think I would have gotten his shirt?" Then she walked inside the inn.

Later that evening, Red was sitting on a barstool, smiling lightly as she listened to the ruckus of the townspeople around her, who were laughing and yelling and telling stories. Somehow, they had arranged much of the room into a large circle of happy neighbors, most half-drunk, and all laughing and sharing stories or gossip. Red was sitting sideways on her stool, sipping ale that Otis had been willing enough to provide her, and watching the townsfolk enjoy themselves. Otis had quit his station behind the counter, and was among them, smiling and sitting near Alya, but not paying enough attention to his daughter to notice her affectionate chatter with Nino.

Everyone was paying attention to a thin man with bright eyes and coppery brown hair as he spun a half-true, mostly gossip, tale about the castle occupants themselves. "I mean, we all know this kingdom has had its fair share of mystery and horror. Let none of us forget the tale of Lady Marine."

Upon hearing such an old name, Red's eyebrow quirked and she leaned closer into the conversation, listening as the other townsfolk did.

"It was a dark, thundering night many years ago when the fair and young Lady Marine revealed her true colors. She was a girl of no more than 15, who was part of the royal court since her family worked in the kitchens, and we all know how the King values his food." The man winked as everyone laughed, and Red had to admit he was a fantastic storyteller. Rarely had she been as pulled into a story as now, even when she knew what truly happened from long ago. "The guards should have seen it coming. Lady Marine was secretive and already rather skilled as a fighter, even being a lady of the court. One night, a guard found her, knife in hand, sneaking towards Princess Chloe's bedchamber. He tried to stop her, but the young girl had a vicious soul, that of a beast, and she thrust the knife into his heart. But this valiant guard had been the one to save the Princess' life, as Marine was found by other guards, kneeling near Sir Jean's body, before she took off into the night, never to be seen again. Her mother and father were executed for her crimes, and the only living relative she seems to have is her uncle, who still works in the kitchens."

Red leaned away again, as the crowd of patrons was hushed over by this dreadful end to a story they had likely heard many times. Then, another among the crowd took up the chance to tell their own gossip-infused story. The woman had the same bright, intelligent eyes as the man, and her hair was cut short. She spoke to the crowd in a matter-of-fact manner that drew all eyes to her, just the same as the man.

"Now Fred, we all know how much you enjoy the story of Lady Marine, but it really is time for a new story. For instance, have you heard the strange rumors surrounding Prince Adrien? He's rarely seen outside the palace gates anymore. It's almost as if something happened recently that's keeping him inside. Like he learned some dreadful secret about his heritage."

Red watched, bemused, as the thin man, Fred, bantered back at the new storyteller. "Oh Nadja, we all know where you're going with this. While it might seem like 'new' news if it has not been proven yet, you've been talking about how the King's ward might actually have been his son for years now."

Nadja looked almost offended at Fred's tone, and Red continued to focus on their banter as the rest of the group began to split and talk loudly among themselves. "Well, something must be happening in that castle! And wouldn't it be interesting if the King had Adrien as a son? Don't tell me your suspicions are any better! You believe Prince Adrien is a great magician who cursed a wolf and transformed it into Noir!"

"Well, it's still a better prediction than Adrien being the King's son. Have you heard of the way Princess Chloe acts around him? Now that would be an awkward situation. But, speaking of the wolf, Lady Tikki! Do you have any stories from beyond? Surely you do, being such an adventurer."

Red balked slightly as all eyes turned to her almost immediately. She started out slowly. "I have nothing to tell, really. Traveling is not the same as adventuring, you see. I go from town to town, keeping my head as low as possible. It stops be from having very many interesting stories to tell."

"Well then, what of the wolf? How fares your search for him?" Nadja asked abruptly.

Red blinked and glanced around the room for a second or two. "Oh, I believe I am close to finding him. You probably will not have to worry for much longer."

Abruptly, Alya stood up, holding a mug in her hand. "A drink to Miss Red! We'll be safe at last!"

Nino pulled Alya back into her seat as the rest of the room laughed and took deep drinks of their alcohol. It seemed Alya was more drunk then she looked. The village girl did not let Nino stop her speaking there, however. She continued, gazing straight at Red. "You know, I think I know who you are."

The rest of the townspeople listened curiously to the innkeeper's daughter, and Red cocked an eyebrow.

"I've heard your name before, you're like a magical being or something from the old legends. Tikki, goddess of the air. You must have come to bless our village!"

Alya's words started to blur and fade, and her head slumped onto Nino's shoulder, who blushed and glanced at Otis worriedly. Still, Alya kept her eyes on Red.

The Red Lady smiled bemused at the girl staring back at her. "Tikki is the goddess of the sky, actually. And it's just a name I was given by my parents. Nothing more." Red paused and then stood up. "Thank you for the ale, and the stories. I'm going to my room for now. It'll be a long day of hunting that wolf tomorrow."

Red laid a few coins on the counter and then headed up the stairs, towards her small bedroom. She could feel the eyes of the whole town on her back. As she left, she heard snippets of the conversation start up again and focus on another topic of gossip; the King's adviser.

 **A/N: I'm back, and I brought some town gossip with me! Don't worry, next time we'll go back to Noir and hang out with him a bit. I just wanted to flesh out the townspeople a bit first. Are you excited about the cameos? Have any theories? I'd love to hear them!**

 **[Secret little writing thing, whenever I feel Alya would have called Red "girl", I replaced it with "miss". I mean, I think by now it's pretty obvious who Red truly is, but I'm going to keep pretending you don't know. ;) ]**


	5. Chapter 5

She was wandering about in the forest again, rather aimlessly. This time, her cloak was tight around her shoulders, flowing slightly behind her in the chilling breeze. Luckily enough for her, the villagers suspected nothing. She almost found it rather stupid of them to believe nothing was wrong just because there had been less wolf attacks since she came. She had even heard some of the citizens mumbling under their breath, wondering if " _The Red Lady_ " had already killed the wolf and was just not telling them.

Red sighed and leaned up against one of the many dark tree trunks as she reached into her bag to grab a small bread roll for her breakfast. As she ate, she observed the forest around her. This deep into the woods, though there was no reason for the change, seemed to be a completely different world. The snow piled up so the forest floor was unseen, and the trees out here were dark as night, unlike the warm, light brown wood near the village, covered in more moss than snow. Out here, there were stretches of nothing but snow and a few trees, and then there were tight clusters of trunks that were near impossible to pass through. While the trees near the village were rather spread out for a normal forest, they did not change as drastically from area to area as the deep woods did. To Red, it was almost an obvious sign that these woods were home to magical creatures. She could think of no other explanation.

She finished her roll, tilted away from the tree trunk, and stomped on. Then, suddenly, a dark shape was ahead of her, with pale purple shimmering from it. She paused, and waited as the shape loped towards her and took the form of the wolf. He walked towards her until he was only a foot or two in front of her, and then he sat down and looked up in an expectant sort of way.

Red observed him, curiously, as he stared back at her. The day she met him, she had noticed a marking on his fur, but was not close enough to really make it out. Now, she knelt down in front of him and studied it. His fur was pitch black, except for that odd purple shimmer, and two faded silver markings. One was a disjointed ring around his left ankle. The other, which she now saw up close, was a marking right in the center of his chest, that resembled a butterfly with thin wings. It was as disjointed as the ring above his paw, but she could make it out more clearly now.

She laughed to herself as she flopped back into the snow. "I guess you really _are_ a faerie. You know, I've always found butterflies to be flighty, fake things." She leaned closer towards the wolf, completely disregarding her own safety. "I do not feel that marking fits you."

Surprising enough, the wolf leaned away from her, as if he felt crowded. She laughed again, almost genuinely, and stood up. "I think I've made up my mind, and I'm not going to kill you, Kitty. So what's your story?"

The wolf blinked up at her for a second, his eyes still a hypnotizing green. Then he got up and bounded off further into the forest. One glance from the wolf was all it took to convince her to follow him.

It took her a bit to catch up with him, what with his stride being even longer than a normal wolf's, but when she did, he slowed down slightly, until they were walking side by side. They were now in a part of the forest where the trees clustered together, making the snow shine silver-grey in the shade they provided. They walked for a while in this alley of the forest; it was almost like walking through a tunnel because of how dense the trees were on either side. Eventually, though, they came to an opening between two trees, and the wolf slipped between them. Red followed. When she came out on the other side, it felt as if the whole world was trying to blind her.

They had ended up on a hill, covered in snow and looking over most of the rest of the forest. She could see how the trees faded from snowy to mossy green, and beyond it all, there stood the glittering Bourgeois Castle, the main cause for her temporary blindness. She looked to the side to see the wolf, staring at the castle. Then he turned to the left and walked on. Red followed him, scrunching her eyebrows together.

"You aren't going to tell me anything, are you?" she mumbled under her breath, as she scrambled down the side of the hill facing away from the castle, a task which the wolf was accomplishing with far more ease.

When they made it to the bottom, the wolf glanced back at her before he walked over to a half-ring of trees and laid down, his head resting on his paws. Red hesitated for a second before joining him, leaning against a tree right at his side. "So is this what you do all day? It does not seem like much fun."

The wolf lifted his head up and butted it against her leg. Red laughed, and then hesitantly reached out a hand to pat the top of his head. "Heh. I would not have thought so from all the stories the villagers told me, but you're pretty cute, Kitty."

The two sat in silence for a while longer, until the wolf started twitching sporadically. He leapt to his feet and growled, the first noise she had heard from him. He was snapping his jaws at the air, and Red stood up too, slightly worried. "What's going on?"

The wolf looked at her for a second, and she could see that his eyes were a noticeably duller green. The purple shine to his coat became more pronounced, and thin, slight streaks of gold seemed to show in his fur. The wolf snapped at the air once more, shook his head, and then bounded up the hill again. Red followed him as quickly as possible, but when she reached the top, he was gone. She sighed, glanced out at the castle for a few minutes, and then made her way back through the woods.

 **A/N: I'm back, with more Noir! He's such an adorable puppy, is he not? XD But, joking aside, I'm really enjoying writing this and I hope you guys are enjoying it too! I just wanted to thank y'all for your fantastic support, lovely reviews, and for the wonderful people who have answered my Miraculous fanfic poll (it's still on my profile, by the way, if anyone else wants to answer it)! You guys rock, and I'll get another (longer) chapter out for you by next week. Bye for now!**


	6. Chapter 6

Red's way of life had continued. She spent the first half of her days meeting the wolf in the forest, until he became agitated and left, the rest of her day hunting for food to share with the Césaires, and her evenings listening to village chatter. They would often congratulate her on her hunting. _"Whatever you're doing, the wolf has stopped its attacks! It hasn't been this safe in months!"_ She usually shook off their praise and tried to stick to herself, but they continued to bother her, and under it all, she was more happy than anything to talk with people. Alya and the others eventually got her to share stories of her adventures, which were indeed quite interesting to the villagers, and each night she kept going to sleep later and later. Still, she woke up every morning at the same early time, to go out in the woods as the sun started to stretch across the country.

This time, she had extra food with her. She had once given the wolf some of her food previously, and she had found that he seemed even more docile and "human-like" afterwards, so she assumed it was a good idea to keep giving him food for the villagers' sake, and her own. And for his too, possibly. As she came to the rough center of the woods, which had become their makeshift meeting spot, Noir appeared from a corner of trees and bounded at her, his fur still shimmering that dusty purple. She almost expected him to jump at her, rather dog-like, but instead he slowed and tipped his head to her. She giggled. She could almost imagine his voice, calling her something like _"M'Lady"_ or _"Princess"_. Dusting some snow off of the ground, and laying down a blanket she had taken from her room, Red sat down near a small gathering of saplings and rocks. The wolf glanced at her almost cautiously, and she smiled as she motioned him over. "Come on, I have food."

Red laughed as the wolf enthusiastically curled up by her side. He really did act like a cat. "Noir? What are you doing?"

The wolf looked almost hurt by her addressing him with that name.

"Okay, so we've never addressed this. What is your name then? Plagg?"

The wolf gave Red an almost patronized look. She could not help but laugh. "Okay, okay, I know that a cat demon's name doesn't exactly suit you, but I have been calling you Kitty, and he is lord of the dead! That's pretty neat, you have to admit."

The wolf did not respond.

"Okay, well, If it makes you feel any better, people have been calling me Tikki. You know, Plagg's bride to be when the world ends?"

The wolf looked back at her, dead-eyed.

Red humored herself and responded to his confused gaze with mock surprise. "You don't know that story? Well, it's time someone informed you. Tikki is the goddess of the Sky. The tale goes that when the world ends and Plagg rides across the earth, bringing bloodshed and death in his wake, Tikki will lower the sky and marry him, in order to cease the complete destruction of the world. And then together, they will create the next race of humankind, and Tikki will cease to live in the sky, leaving the job of guarding it to her siblings. Wayzz will become guardian of the moon, Trixx will become guardian of the sun, and Duusu will become guardian of the stars."

She glanced at the wolf, who seemed like he was intently listening to her. She smiled slightly and finished. "Then Tikki will go with Plagg to the afterlife and they will both live there, Plagg as lord of the dead, and Tikki now as goddess of the earth."

She paused for a moment, looking at him again, and then changed the subject quickly. "But that still doesn't solve the problem of your name! I cannot keep calling you 'Kitty', can I? Even if you are as playful as one."

Red watched him, trying the find conformation, and he moved his body in a way that almost mimed shrugging. She looked ahead of them, at the peaceful, snowy landscape, and then smiled. "Okay. Kitty it is then."

She took the pause in their "conversation" to reach into her bag and grab her food. Rolls with cheese and ham, fresh from the butcher's. Red never would have expected a wolf to enjoy bread and cheese, but her companion did indeed. She quickly made herself a small sandwich, and then she laid the rest of the food out for the wolf, which he ate eagerly. After they finished their food, they sat in a comfortable silence, staring out at the soft, blanketed, white, white world.

"You don't tell me anything," she suddenly mused out loud. "I mean, I know you cannot speak, but there's something about you, something that happened. I can tell."

She thought to herself for a moment, looking at the wolf, whose head was on his paws. She could tell he was listening though. "Did you run away? You do seem like you're always running from something. I ran away too; some people thought me to be a murderer. I _have_ killed. It was how I survived. But there was one man that I did not kill. It may not seem to matter, but if I had stayed away from him, then I would have never had to kill. Just one choice, and everything would be fine. But instead, I have so much blood on my hands because I could not stay away. What about you Kitty? Was there one person that started this all? Who cursed you to kill?"

The wolf lifted his head from his paws and stared at her intensely. Then he looked off into the distance like he was thinking hard on something. Like he was trying to remember why he was a wolf that tore people limb from limb i the dark of the night. Then he shook his head and got to his feet. Red followed suit and picked up the blanket, shaking it of snow before folding it and placing it in her bag. The wolf glanced back at her, and then walked off into the woods. She followed him, but was soon walking side-by-side with him.

They stayed silent for a while, Red observing the crystallization of ice on the branches of the trees that reached out towards her. _"You're in a Fae-Realm,"_ she reminded herself, and walked onwards, ignoring the branches. Soon she broke the silence with her voice again. Spending so much time around Alya had made Red rather chatty. "Do you know any of the royal family?"

The wolf glanced up at her quickly before looking forward again.

Red continued. "Spending time at the inn telling stories of my travels allows me to hear many popular rumors. Many of them are preposterous, of course. But others are interesting at the very least, and plausible at the most. And most of them have to do with you, the royals, or some combination of both. There are strong indications that Princess Chloe's bratty behavior indicates a curse, the same being said about the reclusiveness of the King's ward. There are stronger indications that the royal adviser knows magic."

Red paused again. She was curious, and wanted to get a reaction out of the wolf. But he did nothing. "And… well, you seem less of a faerie and more of a human every time I interact with you. But, they're likely just village rumors. Interesting enough to pass the time." Red glanced up at the sky, visible through the tight branches of the trees. Then she looked curiously down at the wolf. "It's getting late. Normally you leave by now."

The wolf glanced up at her again, but his face was mostly void of emotion. Each day she spent more time with him than the day before. Deep down, something told her this was not a good thing.

Then, suddenly, as if she had reminded him of the time, the wolf viciously shook his head, and sudden streaks of gold appeared in his coat, along with the more pronounced purple, smoky shine. Red stood back and watched him as he irritatedly shook his body. And then he bounded off. And she followed.

He was fast, but she had spend most of her life running, and had gotten very good at it. Even good enough to keep up with a large wolf, especially as he was running through a tight thicket of black trees, and he did not seem to be watching where he was going. As he ran, more of his fur turned a golden blonde, and some streaks of silvery white showed. The streaks grew to blotches, and for a moment, she caught a glimpse of something almost metallic shining on his chest.

Unfortunately, Red was having just as hard of a time running between the trees. Even with a lack of snow making it easier to run, she began to slip behind.

"Wait!" she called out, pushing between the trees and gasping for breath. Ahead of both of them, there was an opening out into a snowy field. She would lose him if he got there first.

"Kitty!" He paid her no attention, simply galloping forward as if he was outrunning death. It was as if he could not hear her.

"Noir!" The cursed name did nothing. No reaction, as if we was deaf to her calls. He burst from the trees out into the snow, and she burst out behind him, her chest heaving as she collapsed onto her knees. She watched him become a speck in the distance, even harder to see in the shining snow and bright sun as he sported the same colors as it.

She sat in the snow for a while, still gasping for breath, and cursing inwardly. As with all people running for something, she could never make it far enough or go fast enough to truly be satisfied. Slowly, Red staggered to her feet, her hands on her knees. She inspected her shoulder, where a branch had nicked her, and she brushed the snow off of her cloak. There were new tears in the fabric, but she could not care less. Another curse, this time out loud, and then she stalked off into the forest to her right.

 **A/N: Wow, we're basically halfway through the story already! Things are going to start becoming a bit more intense in coming chapters; hope you're excited! Also, sorry it took a bit of time to post; this site was giving me trouble. But that's about it for now; review if you'd like, and I'll see you all next week!**


	7. Chapter 7

It had been a few days since she had chased him. Even though Red was not normally one to give up, she had not done it again. The wolf seemed to have no notion that she had tried to follow him. But he did seem mildly irritated at some unknown thing since that day so she had kept a close eye on him. Their time spent together had also dramatically increased. The first time she interacted with him, it had been for fifteen minutes. This morning, she spent nearly two hours in his company.

Now, night was nearing, and she was running a couple small errands around town with Alya. Red was waiting silently behind Alya as the young woman chatted with Nino, who was slacking on his job of selling commodities. He mildly plucked the strings of a small musical instrument as he listened intently to Alya's chatter. Finally, he seemed to realize he had a job to do, and he got back to it, as Alya linked arms with Red and dragged her back through the town, chattering incessantly. "Do you remember Fred's theory?"

Red looked at Alya, and nodded slightly. "He's the one who keeps talking about how he thinks the Prince is behind the wolf attacks."

"Well, I think I may believe him; to an extent of course. Do you know of the Prince's mother?"

Red thought for a second. "Yes, I remember talk of her. One of the few successful raids King André pulled was about 8 years ago, and it was on her kingdom. He lost the land later though. The Queen died as her land was taken from her, and the King took Prince Adrien on as his ward."

"Yes," Alya nodded as she unlinked arms with Red and looked over the fruits and vegetables outside a shop. "You may not know this, but many suspect the Queen was a descendant of Duusu."

"A faerie…?" Red murmured under her breath.

Once again, Alya nodded. "Yes. And that would make the Prince a fae-born, able to transform into a strange creature of the woods, perhaps…" Alya whirled around, facing Red, and grinning. "I mean, it would make perfect sense! The Queen had no husband, and yet she gave birth to a child, both her secret ways and the Prince's could be explained away by a fae nature, and it would also make sense for the Prince to only now become the wolf, as this would be the point in his life where he's becoming a truly powerful faerie!"

Alya turned back around and continued muttering random strains of her theories as she searched through the produce. Red ignored her, and instead drifted into deep thought. _The wolf headed in the direction of the castle every morning. He was definitely no normal wolf; he was large and his coat shown with purple mist._ And she could not ignore the fact that when she chased him that one day, his fur streaked with gold, the signature color of the Prince's hair, and white, the signature color of his clothes. _Even the ring around his paw could be said to match the ring that the Queen had given her son. Could it be? Could that wolf_ really _be the Prince?_

"Hey. Miss?" Alya smiled at Red as she startled from her thoughts. Then the village girl held up a handful of beans and oranges. Red opened up the sack she had for the food to be deposited into, and Alya linked arms with her again, much to Red's chagrin. "So, do you like my theory? It means of course that the wolf isn't dead as some villagers think, but I _did_ sort of suspect that. What _do_ you do in those woods all day?"

Red shook her head to get rid of Alya's questioning, and the two headed back to the inn. Alya did not give up, of course, since she had been constantly pestering Red about her life since the day they met, but Red ignored her completely, still rather deep in her thoughts and figurations. Right before they entered the inn, Red heard an angry yell. Handing her sack to Alya, and shooing the young lady inside, she turned to face a very angry man.

"Tikki, how dare you!?" the man shouted at her, before he was even a few meters away. Realizing the true anger of the man, as he came closer, Red ducked just in time to avoid a fist to the face.

She grew angry herself, and shouted back at him, blocking him from trying to hit her again. "What the hell?"

"You promised! You _promised_ you would keep that wolf from harming anyone in this village again. You _promised_ you would kill it. But what have you been doing? You've been romping around the woods, letting the people of this town believe you actually did them a favor and _killed_ the beast. You let the people of this village think they were safe! But you haven't even tried to kill that creature. You take and _take_ from us and give nothing in return! _Nothing_!"

Two young men came running up from across the town and restrained the older man as he tried to punch Red again. "Mr. Kubdel, sir! Stop! This won't help Alix."

Red ignored the others and retorted back at the man, still fuming. "I never said I had killed the wolf! He is hard to track and even harder to hunt. I never told the people of this town to feel safe! In fact, I told them the opposite! I said that I had _not_ gotten rid of the problem. So whatever happened, it's _your_ fault, not mine."

One of the young men holding the man back furrowed his eyebrows in anger and shouted at Red as well. "You _liar_! You can't say that! And you were still supposed to be working on the problem, but you did nothing to keep us safer! I _saw_ you in the woods. All you did was hunt small game. You buy meat from my father's shop, and then you go out and relax in the woods! You didn't even try, and a girl is missing an arm because of your complete disregard of your promise!"

The other young man started shouting at his companion as well. "Calm _down_ Kim! We already went over how anger isn't the solution!"

"She's one of my _best friends_ and also _your_ sister! How are you _not_ angry?!"

Red's anger cooled immediately. She could now see how the three men in front of her all had tears in their eyes. The one who had tried to punch her was leaning heavily on the calmest one, his son she presumed, and the other young man, Kim, was walking angrily in a circle, before he knelt down on the ground, clenching his fists at his side. Red observed the three for a little while more before quietly entering the inn, grabbing her bow and arrow, and heading out into the forest. Darkness was nearing, and the wolf would soon appear there.

 **A/N: We are now officially at the half point of the story, unless of course I end up chopping some of the other chapters in half. As we're in the second half of the story, we're about to head into a series of quick-paced chapters that will be jammed up with intensity [hopefully- I don't want to oversell the story here ;) ]. Anyways, what do you think is gonna happen next? Have any theories? I'd love to hear your thoughts; your reviews are always awesome! But that's it; I'll see you next week!**


	8. Chapter 8

It was already around midnight, but she kept going, the crescent moon above her being the only light that led her; and it gave very little light as it was. Red had seemingly mistook how long it might take to find Noir this late at night. She had only come out late at night once or twice, and when she did, she had never actually _found_ the wolf. And she had no idea how he acted at night. But now, she had an important task at hand, and she would not give up.

"Where are you…" she muttered to herself. Then, suddenly, a branch snapped behind her, she drew her bow and arrow in a split second, and whirled to face the wolf. His green eyes were even more piercing in the darkness, and they held surprise in them. Red did not lower her bow.

The wolf stayed standing, looking cautiously at her, as if he was not sure if he should run. Half of Red's mind was screaming at her to drop the bow, like she was aiming the arrow at a small child. The other half of her brain was telling her to let the arrow fly free. She tried to harden her features as she began to talk to him, but a softness slipped into her voice. "What did you do, Noir?"

The wolf hardened his features too, and moved quickly behind some of the pitch black trees, glancing out at her from behind them with an almost angry gaze. Red sighed and lowered her bow. It was of no use. She did not want to fire it anyways.

"N- Kitty… You… hurt a girl. Badly. Do you even remember?" She glanced at him and then at the tree he was hiding behind. Dark and evil, this far out in the woods. Near the village the trees were made of light brown wood and covered in soft green moss. Red wondered how environments could be so different so close together. These woods were so odd. Even though there was barely a moon out tonight, the snow looked illuminated; a bluish tint to it. _Fae-Realm_. She changed her topic of speech just slightly. "Do I even know you? I might…"

The wolf still looked at her hesitantly from behind his shield of trees. Red sighed and walked a few paces backwards, laid her bow and arrows on the snow, and then walked towards him again, kneeling only a few paces away from his face. "Is it true? Could you be- are you the Prince?"

The wolf made no motion of understanding, just a small twitch of his head.

Red looked down at her hands. "I've said it before and I'll say it again. You don't seem like a faerie." She glanced at the marking on his chest. Barely visible in the moonlight, but it looked less disjointed than she had seen it before. The question she had asked days ago rang in her head again, and she echoed it under her breath. " _Who cursed you to kill?_ "

The wolf's ear twitched and then he shook his whole head for a moment or two. Red watched him carefully, and when he stopped, she slowly reached out her hand towards him.

"Kitty?" He shook his head as if a fly was bothering him.

"Adrien?" As she said the Prince's name, she laid her hand over the top of the marking on his chest. In that moment, her brain all of a sudden felt mushy and cold, and the fur under her palm gave off the burn of ice. Red immediately withdrew her hand and scooched backwards a bit. The wolf began trembling, shivering all over his body.

She furrowed her eyebrows. "What's _happening_ to you?"

The shaking only got worse, and the wolf seemed to be ignoring her again, like when she had chased him. But there was no change in the color of his coat or the shine of his fur. Red grew worried. "Kitty? What's going on?! Noir!"

Then, all of a sudden, the bright green glow of his eyes faded, clouded with purple haze, and his shivering stopped. The marking on his chest seemed to glow faintly white. Red looked on, still nervous. "... Noir?"

The wolf stared at her. It no longer seemed human. Then, suddenly, it snarled. Red startled and quickly crawled backwards, as the wolf approached her. "Kitty, st-stop. Don't do this." She reached for her bow, just a foot or two behind her. The wolf seemingly noticed, and with that, lunged.

Red fell to the ground, the claws of the wolf striking her face, before a green glow reappeared in his eyes. Another shake of the head, and a rather human, horrified expression showed in the wolf's face. In two seconds he had bounded off, leaving Red staring up at the sky, heart thumping like the steps of a horse.

"The moon is fading… Soon there will only be blue-black. Is the good in you disappearing too?" she wondered out loud, her words following the wolf into the night. She heaved herself off of the ground, and reached for her bow before noticing the drops of blood, bright in the snow even under the thin moonlight. She touched her forehead, found a slight wound, and looked at the snow again. Then she snatched up her bow and arrows and went back through the woods, searching for the path to the village. Behind her she left three red dots in the pale snow, caused by the black claws of a beast.

 **A/N: Hi again guys! Happy Easter/First of April (if you celebrate)! I know this chapter is a bit short, but next week is my Spring break, so I'm hoping to post an extra chapter. Also, I'm going to be starting the prepping phase of my upcoming full on multi-chapter ML fanfiction, so now's your last chance to take my poll (which is on my profile) if you want to help me decide what I write. That's about it, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the chapter, and I'll see you soon!**

 **(Also, I just watched the first 12 episodes of the second season- they were released on Netflix. So awesome, and I'm excited for more! I should really just start watching the subbed version, but I'm too lazy to try to find them. '-')**


	9. Chapter 9

Red sat on a fallen tree and sighed. She touched her hand to her forehead, and it came away with blood coating her fingertips. She felt slightly dizzy, and it probably did not help her condition that she had spent the rest of the night wandering through the forest, half because she did not wish to return to the village, and half because she was having trouble finding her way back in the dark. She was now just on the edge of the village, but she was too tired to go forward. The sun was just beginning to rise, and everything had a smoky grey cover to it. Then she heard voices, one cautious, one worried.

"Wait, isn't that her? Um, Red Lady?"

"Yes! Yes, I think it is! Red! Miss Tikki! Where were you?"

Red glanced up tiredly at Alya as her and Nino came running over. She replied in monotone. "I was in the woods."

"You're bleeding! What happened?" Alya paused, worry written across her features. "Noir?"

Red gave the girl the answer she was looking for with a heavy stare.

Alya turned to Nino. "Can we use your shed? I don't want to cause a commotion at the inn." After Nino nodded, Alya turned back to Red an motioned for the adventurer to follow them. "A lot of the villagers were wondering where you went last night. And then we all heard about Alix; her father was the one yelling at you yesterday, when I saw you last."

"I realize," Red replied, tiredly.

"Well, anyways, a lot of the village was divided on where you went and whether or not the attack was your fault. My father told me that he was willing to hear your side of things, and some others thought you were going into the woods to find the beast and end this once and for all, but there were some people who thought you were running away, or something worse."

Nino interjected into the conversation from ahead of Alya, "Nadja or Fred, I can't remember which one, wondered out loud if you were connected with Noir, working with him or something." He looked back at the two of them. "I don't think they really meant anything by it though. They _are_ gossips by nature."

Red looked down at her feet and touched her forehead again. "Oh well. I have no need for anyone's approval."

Alya looked at her with a frown. "If you want to stay in the town you do. Now, come on, Nino's house is just over there."

They entered the shed, Nino seperating from the girls to go check on his mother and get some extra supplies to patch up Red's injury. Red sat down heavily on a wobbling stool and sighed. "How long were you two out looking for me."

Alya was looking for supplies around the small room, and spoke over her shoulder to Red. "Not long. I was waiting up after the inn closed, and when my father told me to go to bed, I couldn't sleep, so I came to talk with Nino. He said that he would help me search for you in the morning if you were still absent. We looked around the village a bit, and then spent maybe a half hour along the edge of the woods before we found you. But tell me, are you alright? That wound does not look deep, but you were in the forest all night long."

"I'm fine Alya. Just tired. And… worried." Red glanced up at her friend. "I have questions, and I need answers soon or else I fear things will become drastically worse."

Alya knelt down by Red's side and started cleaning her wound with a cloth. "Just tell me what you need. You're too mysterious, miss. I can help you, if you only ask for it. You just have to trust me, because I trust you."

At that moment, Nino returned to the shed with a small bucket of water, some extra cloth, and a sewing needle, just in case. He observed them for a moment, and then left, saying that he would be with his mother if they needed him.

Red watched Alya as the young woman finished cleaning her wound, barely fliching. Then she spoke up. "You're rather well read Alya. I assume there are at least a few books in this village?"

Alya gave her a curious look. "Oh, uh, yes. There's a small collection of sorts."

"You are trustworthy Alya," Red remarked, a soft look on her face. Then she continued. "Bring the books to me, please. Any on history, curses, or legends, that is. I don't want to cause more of a stir by showing my face in the village."

Alya blinked, surprised, and finished wrapping up Red's wound as she replied. "Of course! They're at Mr. Kubdel's establishment anyways, so I am sure it would be a bad idea for you to venture there."

Alya stood up, smiling, and brushed off her apron. "I'll be back soon, and I'll tell Nino to come check on you."

Red shook her head. "No, it's fine. I need time to think anyways."

Alya frowned for a moment, but left anyways, as Red stared at a wall, and thought about butterflies. _What evil, flighty things._

 **A/N: This chapter was going to have more to it, but it became a bit longer than I expected, so you'll get another update tomorrow! Sorry that it's sort of filler, but we can't have too much excitement all in a row. ;) I'm planning to post another chapter on Wednesday though, so you'll see more intense stuff soon!**


	10. Chapter 10

Alya had returned with an armful plus a basket full of books, and they had already spent the day reading through them. Nino had offered to help, and while Red was hesitant to accept it, she really had nothing to worry about. After about an hour and a half of reading, he had made an excuse to leave, and had not returned. Alya loved the opportunity to pour over books of lore though, books that she apparently had not read since she was younger.

"Wow, the god of mischievous is pretty devilish! I cannot believe that I did not remember anything about these gods' stories; they're amazing! No wonder you were named Tikki, miss; she's a great namesake. I think I would have liked to be named after this one though."

Red sighed. Reading for hours was hard, especially when Alya interrupted her train of thought every thirty minutes. "Trixx is the _god_ of mischief."

"So? It's still a good name. What if I joined you on the road and became Rena the Red? Nino could come too! He could go by Wayzz, the god of turtles and being bored." Alya smirked.

Red gave Alya a hard look. "Wayzz is the god of knowledge and strategy, and he has a turtle shell on his back to symbolize his wisdom. Have you found any useful information about the gods in that book?"

Alya looked slightly embarrassed. "Uh, yes, possibly. Sorry. There's a great deal of information about the major pantheon of gods in this book. Tikki is the goddess of life; she created all humans and now lives in the sky, watching over everything. Plagg is the god of death, eventually her husband, when the world ends, and she joins him, becoming the goddess of the earth and the growth of living things. Then there's Trixx and Wayzz who we just went over, and Duusu, the goddess of emotion. She's the supposed ancestor of all dark creatures on earth, or at least her and Nooroo are, who is the god of magic. And finally there's Pollen the-"

"Wait, there _is_ information on Nooroo in that book?" Red exclaimed, as she cut Alya off and went over to where the girl was sitting.

"Yes, there's a small section. He has a following of people who practice magic in his name and try to bring balance to the world. Sometimes, at least. There's not much information on him though."

Red swiftly took the book from Alya's hands. "No, there would be very little information on him. The only time I ever heard anything about him was a long time ago, from a small story my Uncle told me. He is a just god, and most of his followers were just, but some practiced magic for evil purposes, and others fought in the name of Nooroo; those who were murderers and thieves. He is the one god who has outlasted all the others, but not in a good way. Most writing on him is banned for fear of more people joining the sect of the Akuma. It has mostly been eradicated, but so has the good name of the god of magic and peace."

Alya watched Red curiously as she scanned through more pages. Then she stopped at an image, read the description, and thrust the book back into Alya's hands before going back to the pile of books she had read. Red pulled aside one of the bottom ones and compared it to the tome of curses she had been scanning when Alya interrupted her. The language of the tome was nigh ununderstandable, but she was able to find a sketch of a thin-winged butterfly, just like in Alya's volume of gods. And then Red looked back to the book she had pulled from the stack she had finished hours ago. It was on the history of the kingdom. She flipped it to a page she had been curious about before, and checked the information on it against the "butterfly" curse. Then she nodded to herself, got to her feet and grabbed her satchel, bow and arrows, and cloak. She looked in her bag and made sure to shove daggers into the secret inner linings of her red cape.

Alya blinked hesitantly and then stood up as Red made to leave the shack. "Wait, what did you find?" Red ignored her and headed out the door. Alya followed. "You can't leave! It's night. If you go after him now, you'll get hurt again!"

Red looked back at Alya and smiled as she flung her cape around her shoulders. "I'll be fine. I just need to check something. But I think I might know how to fix your wolf problem, once and for all."

Alya watched as Red vanished into the night, bow and arrow already at the ready to be fired. She looked up at the thin slip of the moon, and sighed, frustrated, as Nino came out from his small house to check on her. "She's gone?"

Alya nodded. Then she reentered the shed with Nino behind her. She bent and picked up the books that Red had been looking at. Then she sighed again. "I have no idea what she's doing. I just hope she's doing right."

 **A/N: Hi guys! We are now two thirds of the way through! Excited for the next chapter? I sure am. :) I'd love to hear predictions, and before I go, I'd like to ask a favor of some of you. I just posted a story on my fictionpress account that has two characters that are very precious to me in it, and I would love if anyone checked it out (same pen name over there as here). It's not long, but if you're not up for it, that's completely fine. See you all soon, and hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	11. Chapter 11

It was after midnight, that much she could tell. Red already felt like she had searched the whole forest over, and _nothing_. She had a sinking feeling that Noir was avoiding her, but her gut also told her that she had to act quickly. Whatever was happening to Noir was quickly becoming worse, and she knew that she had to reaffirm her suspicions if she wanted to help him, if she wanted to help the town. She _had_ to look at that marking again.

The sky looked hazy purple, as if it was nearing morning, and it made Red feel nauseous. Time was moving too quickly. Two nights without sleep, and she should be exhausted. And even though she felt incredibly alert, she was worried that any moment she would lose the necessary adrenaline that was pumping through her veins, and collapse from her sleep-deprived schedule. That was _not_ an option. But the possibility of it happening was steadily increasing.

In the distance, she heard a noise. Quickly, Red turned her head in that direction, and slung her bow off her shoulder, fitting it with an arrow, and crouching down. She watched the snow and the trees, still rather unnervingly easy to see in the frail moonlight. The snow glowed, and the trees stood out, looking blacker than the nighttime sky itself. Another crack startled her, sounding from a few paces further, and quickly, _quietly_ , she set off. She saw nothing, _maybe_ a flash of purple smoke, but of all her time spent in these woods, she had learned that there were very few sounds when Noir was around, unless it was the wolf himself.

The snow was soft and dusty under her feet, and as always, she was surprised she did not sink straight through to Plagg's underground kingdom. Ahead of her, a shape as dark as the trees was moving along, with wisps of purple trailing after it. She increased her pace, and surprisingly, the wolf did not. Could he be leading her some place?

"Noir! I can see you; stop running! I want to _help_ , and I won't give up on you!" Red cried out desperately, and for a moment, the shape in front of her slowed down. A head turned, and spots of green flashed with human emotion. His eyes were filled with anguish, indecision. Then, he turned again and began to gallop away. "Wait! _Kitty_!"

Red slung her bow over her shoulder as she ran, still gripping one of her arrows in her palm. Her feet pounded across the forest floor, and when she slipped on snow, she barely noticed. There was no thought in her head besides the fact that she _had_ to reach him. And he was still not running his fastest. He was not tearing through this forest like the devil was on his tail. She _had_ to catch him. And she _would_.

All of a sudden, they came to the ridge overlooking the rest of the forest, where the King's castle was in the distance. The wolf slowed for a moment to look at the castle off in the distance, the tiny bit of moonlight reflecting off it's shining surfaces. It was all Red needed.

She collided into the wolf, tackling him over the steep hill that was on the opposite side of the ridge as the castle. They both slid down the snowy side, and landed at the bottom, in the sort of 'bowl' that the forest formed here, surrounded by trees and rocks and steeps slopes all around. Red had not even noticed that she was heaving until this moment. She did not let it stop her, and rolled to her knees to crawl over to where the wolf had landed, looking quite stunned.

"That certainly… was not easy. You… are not easy to catch," she smiled slightly at the wolf, and noticed that he looked back at her with worried and hesitant eyes. Red smiled again. She did not care. His eyes were bright green, and full of emotion. It made no difference if he had attacked her last night.

Noir was laying on the ground, front legs stretched out in front of him, as if he had been relaxing in the snow, even though he had just tumbled down a hill. The mark on his chest was only half visible. She prodded him carefully. "Please Kitty, I want to help. I just need to see your markings. _Please_."

The wolf looked curiously at Red, as if he did not understand what she was saying. Then, slowly, he got up so that he was sitting on his hind legs. Red inched closer and observed the butterfly pattern on his chest and the ring around his paw. Just as she wondered, they looked less broken up than when she met him in the morning. Carefully, she laid her hand over the butterfly mark. Like the last night, she felt woozy like someone had shoved an ice pick through her brain, and then began to burn her hand with fire. But Noir did nothing. Red removed her hand quickly and looked into the wolf's eyes. Startling green and not wolf-like at all.

"I think I'm right," Red muttered under her breath. "It _is_ a curse, is it not?"

Then Noir's head twitched.

Hesitantly, Red looked on. His ears twitched again, and he shook his head fully, like a faerie was bothering him. Red inched backwards. "Noir…"

The shaking did not stop. His spasms only got worse, shaking throughout his whole body, as purple smoke shed off of him in layers. Red stood up and took her bow from over her shoulder. She touched her forehead, lightly, where he had scratched her before. And then he looked at her, without feeling. His eyes glazed over, like the last night, and Red stumbled back in horror. But as she watched, the wolf stood his ground and continued to shake his head back and forth vigorously. Then, he stopped, looked straight at her again, and growled. His eyes clouded even further, until they looked like they had been filled up with black ink, even darker than the wolf's fur, or the trees around them. And bright, fuchsia-purple light gathered around Noir's eyes, lighting up the wolf's next snarl with more ferociousness than a pink color would normally offer. The light formed a jagged zig-zag by each eye, and when she concentrated, she realized that together, the light looked like a butterfly pattern.

"I was right, I was right, I was right," Red whispered to herself as she backed further away. "Kitty, I don't want to hurt you. I _don't_." She readied her bow anyways. And he approached. _It_ approached.

The wolf leapt at her, like before. Red dodged, sliding to her right in the snow, and drawing her arrow back to her cheek. She let it fly, grazing past the wolf's side and nicking it. It was meant as a warning shot, which might have been a bad idea, since the wolf snarled louder and charged at her again.

Red scrambled backwards, half up one of the dusted slopes, sinking in the snow. _Now is not the time for this snow to behave normally._ She tried to draw another arrow from her quiver, but the wolf bounded towards her, jaws open and claws out, and she had to dive to the side, half rolling, half skidding across the snow. A few of her arrows fell out of her quiver, and she grabbed one, kneeling on the ground, and aiming to fire at the wolf again. It was too close to her position though, and came leaping and snarling at her again. Red tried to duck, to slip out of the way, but the wolf was still too close, and she was batted to the side with one of its paws. She never realized Noir's strength until now, as she skidded across the snowy ground again.

She hissed in pain, feeling sharp jabs in her skin on her side. Apparently her jacket and cloak were not enough armor. There were new shreds in her cloak. She did not care. Realizing her hands were half empty, Red searched for her bow, but it was lying a foot away, snapped in half. She scrambled to her feet and pulled a small, thin dagger out of a pocket in her cloak, holding the arrow she still had as a knife in her other hand. The wolf came closer, growling still, eyes deeper than the night, and thin streaks of light floating around them.

Red crouched low, and as the wolf bounded at her again, she dodged forward, and sliced across its two right legs with her arrowhead. The wolf half howled, half hissed in pain, and turned on her, even more angry. Red stumbled backwards slightly, over some of her spilled arrows, and as she did, she hurled the arrow she held at the wolf's side, and picked up another one from behind her. The arrow she threw hit Noir and caused the wolf to bleed, but it did not stick in its hide.

Red tried to scramble to her feet again, but the wolf leapt at her, and pinned her down, a few of the arrows in her quiver snapping beneath her. She hissed at his claws digging into her right arm and legs. But before Noir could scratch her face again, or sink its teeth into her skin, she had her unpinned arm with the dagger in her hand to the wolf's throat. Purple smoke breathed out of his mouth, and the lights fluttering around his eyes diminished. Red watched him, and then lowered her dagger.

"I've killed before. Noir, I _cannot_ do it again," she whispered and let her arm fall to her side.

The wolf did not move. His claws still dug into her legs and arm. And then, suddenly, the ink drained from his eyes, and then they lost their glazed look. Quickly, the wolf leaped off her, complete and utter horror reflected in his face, twisting it in ways only a human face could twist.

Red gasped from the pain, but kept her eyes trained on the wolf. She felt her body failing, she felt like passing out in the snow. But she could not. She took a heavy breath. "Noir… Noir…"

The wolf backed away and went charging up the slope. He ran without purpose. _No, no, no, no._

Red tried to roll up onto her feet again, to follow him. She only got on half her side. Desperate, she cried out. "Adrien! _Wait_!"

It did nothing, except cause her to fall to the ground again, unconscious.

 **A/N: Well. That was fun (and a bit long, ooh-la-la!). Another chapter to be uploaded on the weekend, and sorry this one wasn't uploaded yesterday, like I said it would be. Fight scenes take a bit more out of me, though I think this one was pretty great. Hope you liked it too; tell me your thoughts!**

 **And just a friendly reminder before I go, if you want to take my poll to help decide what the plot of my next ML fanfic should be, I'm going to stop taking responses on Saturday. Here's the link; it's also on my profile page: forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd87Hl_re7yooQ4Sacj1bnpztRzX0c4oJIybw6wwv29V0E4ng/viewform**

 **But that's all for now folks, and I'll see you soon!**


	12. Chapter 12

His paws pounded across the dirt, but he barely felt it. All that was in him was the need to run and run and run. Thin bits of pain traced themselves across his skeleton, and yet still he ran and ran and ran. He sensed nothing around him. Every once in a while, he would bump into some object or another; perhaps a tree; but he simply moved to the side and kept running. Most of the time, an odd sense made him change course before he ran into something.

It seemed like he should be tired; he had been running all night, into the morning, longing for the feeling that meant his transformation was coming soon. It took too long. He had been full of distress, and could not stay in one place. He had only been half himself; he scared one villager half to death, and he killed anything else that moved. It pained him, but he could never control himself. And now, with Red harmed… He had wanted to go back to check on her, but he was afraid he might harm her again.

But now he was running, running, running, running and he would be home soon again. He felt the pain grow along his spine, he felt his body change as he lost his fur coat, he felt his metallic pendant bang against his chest, he felt that he was slowing down as he began to run on two legs. He felt the world come into a cleared focus, and he heard the sound of horses. He smelled hay. And then he collapsed in it.

For a few hours or so he slept; the wolf form had slowly but surely started taking more and more of his energy away. The earlier he transformed, or the later he stayed out in the woods in the morning, the longer he had to sleep. It was never his choice of course, not really. The wolf part of him, _Noir_ , awoke on its own. The only thing he knew was that he transformed every night, at least once the sun set, and that since he had been staying in the woods longer, it took more time for him to gain his energy back.

Eventually, he woke up. He sat up slowly and dusted off his clothes, pulling strands of golden hay from his equally golden hair. He looked around before standing up and walking hazily back to the castle. It was always unnervingly lucky that no stable hand came across him while he slept, or each night when he came out to the stables, just before he grew into his wolf form. After all, what would they think if they saw _Prince Adrien_ laying on the ground or transforming into a killer wolf, when he should be sleeping? It was almost like a spell kept them away.

Adrien's own name sent shivers through his bones as he made his way down the halls back to his room, ignoring all guards or passing servants. He clutched the silver butterfly pendant at his chest as he thought about the last night, and the nights before. _How had she known?_ She had guessed _his_ identity. Effortlessly, it seemed. _He_ did not even understand why he transformed into Noir. _What had she said about a curse? And his markings?_

He was now outside the door to his room. He entered, and his mind immediately went fuzzy. His room was rather small for a Prince. He used to have a larger one, but he asked for something small. Chloe had laughed at him, wondering why in the whole of the world he would want a _smaller_ room and _less_ things. The King was always willing enough to give Adrien things; mostly because his daughter wished it; but Adrien never wanted anything, and so nothing was given.

The Prince gripped the pendant around his neck fiercely, enough for small cuts to form again on his palm, as he did this a lot. He paid them no mind though; just like the wounds that Red had inflicted on him last night, any injury he received would slowly fade away once he transformed, one way or another.

Adrien tried to remember what he had been thinking about, but the thoughts slowly drifted out of his mind, until all he did was grasp the pendant in his hand and look at it. It had thin wings, and resembled a butterfly, with a tiny amethyst jewel in the center of the thin, silver metal. The metal was quite close to the same metal of his mother's ring, which she had given him long ago. The pendant also matched the one the King's adviser wore, as he had been the one to give the gift to Adrien. A few months ago, he thought, but he could not be quite sure. His memories grew disjointed after a while.

All Adrien did was lie on his bed for the rest of the day. He vaguely sensed a maid come in with a tray of lunch, replacing his uneaten breakfast, as he ate few meals with the royal family or the courtiers of the castle. It was possible that Chloe came whistling by some time after the maid came in, but he could not be quite sure. His mind drifted from a state of haziness, with purple smoke swirling in his head instead of thoughts, as he lay emotionless and laguid to filled with anguish and hatred towards himself and questions about what was happening to him. _What had he done to Red?_ He _loved_ her! That much was completely and utterly true. He fell in love with her the moment he met her. In his wolf form, he usually felt as hazy as he did in the castle. But upon laying eyes on her, he was once again aware of his surroundings; he felt more human as a wolf then when he was the prince! _And what about his markings? A curse? Did that have something to do with his ring? Or his amulet?_

Groggily, he sat up in his bed and hesitantly slid off his ring. He felt a wave of tiredness crash over him, but no difference beside that. Then he reached to slide the chain of the necklace over his head. His eyes and arms felt heavy, and after a few moments he gave up. He was too tired to do this right now. _Maybe later…_ He would be more alert later. He slid his ring back on, and drifted into sleep.

Moments or minutes later, Adrien was startled from his sleep by footsteps in the hall. There was a soft knock to his door, and after a "Come in" from Adrien, the door opened, and revealed the King's adviser.

"Hello Hawk," Adrien addressed drowsily. "What is it?"

Hawk smiled kindly at Adrien, who suddenly felt another wave of fuzziness wash over him, as he forgot what he had been thinking about. "The King and Princess Chloe were hoping you could join them for dinner tonight. I personally came to ask for you."

"Oh," Adrien's mind was devoid of thoughts. He struggled to find another word. "Oh… Okay."

The advisor smiled again. "Come along then, Prince Adrien."

Adrien slowly stood up and followed the advisor out of his room, towards the great hall. His torment was all but forgotten. Few things swirled in his brain.

 **A/N: Ok, I have to admit that I'm pretty excited guys; we're down to our last three chapters! There's going to be one more chapter before the finale, and then an epilogue after that, and we're finished! The finale will be extra long though (maybe three times the length of a normal chapter, but I'm not positive yet). Anyways, I hope you're just as excited as I am, and I hope you also enjoyed this new chapter (how was it to finally see Adrien's side of things? Tell me your thoughts!). See you soon!**


	13. Chapter 13

Red had no idea how she got up again. She had no idea how she succeeded to hurry back to the village. She had no idea how she was not dead from the cold, which she had laid in until noon. Her wounds were somehow only dried spots of blood in small arcs of four; not too deep to stop her from moving, yet still painful. She had checked the side she landed on after Noir threw her; it already bruised in lovely shades of murky purple and sickly yellow.

Upon reaching the village, she was somehow able to move quietly, quickly, and stealthily enough through. Even at midday, few villagers were out in the town. Even fewer than expected. Red passed shops that looked like they were closed up quickly. She grabbed an apple, and laid a coin down on an empty counter. She ate it though it made her stomach turn.

She snuck back to Nino's shack, the books still on the ground. She read over one quickly, one last time, and then nodded to herself. Then she dressed her wounds quietly and left. It seemed Nino was nowhere near his small house.

Red observed the village as she snuck around. She avoided store fronts and the sounds of chopping wood, but she only saw a few people sitting in front of their houses or at their stands. Most of them looked worried to an extent. Red could not be bothered by any of this, and kept walking. She neared the inn, and snuck around to a back door. Once she opened it, she realized where most of the villagers were.

The room was tousled together, and there was far more shouting than normally happened each night. Some villagers stood up, shaking their hands angrily and yelling at each other, some decided to be angry while sitting down. No one was listening to each other, and Red could not pick out one argument from another. There were a few people trying to calm the rest down; she saw Fred, Alya, Nino, and that old man she met her first day here, Mister Fu, doing just that. Unfortunately, she would not be able to sneak up the stairs without anyone seeing her, as she had hoped.

Quickly, she ran up the stairs not trying to be quiet. She heard the room behind her soften its shouts and then explode into a clamour as people evidently saw her. There was one "Lady Red!" gasped out by the voice she knew as Alya's, and then there was the rushing of feet, and though she stomped up the creaky stairs as quickly as she could, Red's cloak was soon caught in the grasp of some villager or other.

She halfway turned around, wrapped her right arm around her coat- though it still stung- and pulled her cloak back, while delivering a soft kick to the man who grabbed her, that caused him to stumble back and block the way. Then she made her way to her rickety room at the end of the hall and slammed the door, locking it tightly with the bolt and her key.

There was shouting outside and banging on her door, though she paid it no attention. Red twirled around her room, grabbing all the weapons she had. Her arrows were useless now, except as one-use knives, since her bow broke. But she had long daggers which she strapped to her legs and upper arm, and she made sure to hide as many of her small daggers in her cloak's inner pockets. She still strapped the arrows in a bunch to her side- what she was going to do was near suicide, so she had no care that she left her excessities behind in the village. If she did succeed, she would deal with getting them back later. However, Red's dark thoughts warned her that she would not.

She scowled around her room. Red no longer had anything but knives and arrows. The slingshot she once carried around was long gone, even though she was rather good at aiming it. She needed a long length of rope, and a hook. She need more weapons that could work in longer range. She had none of that.

Slowly, Red realized the shouting outside her door had changed, and the banging had stopped. She heard a soft, growling, "Get out of our way", responded by a strong "No". Red approached the door cautiously as someone knocked on it. A voice echoed from outside.

"Red, please open up."

Red sighed. A bad idea, but she did so anyways. She let the door hang open slightly, and Alya slipped in, a few others blocking the rest of the crowd from following her and tearing Red to pieces. Once Alya was inside, Red slammed the door shut again, bolting it and locking it once more. She turned to face her friend.

Alya frowned. Her eyes looked slightly teary. "Miss, you have to tell me, _what is going on_?" Alya's eyes ran up and down Red's figure. "Where are you going Red? What are you going to do?"

Red sighed and sat on her bed. She looked at her hands, felt the ache in her bones. Then she looked up at Alya. All pretenses were gone from her figure. She smiled lightly, and softly replied, "I'm going to save the wolf."

Alya furrowed her brow and sat on a small stool she pulled near Red. "Why?"

Red looked down at her hands again. As short of a question it was, it was not a simple one. Then she glanced back up at her friend. Her light blue eyes bore into Alya's bronze orbs. "Do not interrupt me, and I will tell you everything Alya."

The village girl nodded.

Red started speaking. "Noir is indeed cursed. And he is indeed Prince Adrien. These weeks I have resided in your village, I have spent most of my time with him. He is docile around me, and I assumed that I was helping to tame him, when I did not know what afflicted him. I was wrong. Until recently, he acted more like a puppy, or even a human in his wolf form. But then, he attacked me. Last night, I figured out his curse, and I went to make sure I was right. And I was. But he attacked me again. He lost sense of himself, and he almost killed me. He stopped short though. I would not kill him, because I have killed before. Because…" Red sighed here and stopped for a moment. "Because I am Lady Marine."

Alya's eyes widened, but she said nothing. She did not even make a sound. For a few moments, the only noise came from outside Red's door, as people still pushed and tried to enter.

Then Red continued. "I lived in the castle all my life, from the day I was born, until I was 15. About a year before I left, the king had attacked and brought down the Agreste Kingdom. As he won, two people showed up in the King's court. One, a young boy, son of the queen who just died. He stayed locked in his room, and I rarely ever saw him. The only one who doted upon him was Princess Chloe The other was the King's adviser, once the adviser to Prince Adrien's mother. Hawk Moth. One day, I learned that he planned to kill the princess, for what reason, I do not know. And I determined that I would stop him. But I made one fatal mistake. I ventured to protect the princess myself, and alone. I was already a strong fighter, so I was positive I could take down a scrawny man like Hawk Moth. No one knew what I knew. Except, unfortunately, him. He believed he could use me to get away with his crime. But what he didn't know was that Sir Jean, a good friend of Princess Chloe's, always checked upon her door at midnight. And stupidly, that was the time Hawk decided to strike. He killed Sir Jean in front of my eyes, but there was enough of a commotion that raised alarm throughout the castle, so he had to run. I was still young, and foolish. I had never seen someone die. I should have left, should have chased Hawk at the least. But instead, I went to Sir Jean, and tried to keep him alive, even as his eyes became dull blocks of jade. And, the guards saw me, and believed I had killed him. They gave me no time to explain myself, all I could do was run. I killed two in self defense as I escaped from the castle. I hid in the woods nearby, learning that I was blamed for the crime that Hawk Moth was attempting to commit, though fortunately Chloe was now safe, as guards were placed around her room, and as her escort. Unfortunately, my family died for my crimes. But I could do nothing. I could not face an army. So I ran. Yet here I am again."

Red stared at the floor. She noticed Alya shift from across from her, to next to her on the bed. The young woman still said nothing though, and Red finished her story, blue eyes now boring into dark wood. "I have learned, while here, that Hawk Moth knows magic. For how long, I have no idea. But the mark he carries is the same as the mark of Nooroo, the same as the mark of the Akuma, and the same as the mark upon Noir's chest, which proves the curse Adrien is under. Hawk would have given the prince an amulet, bestowed with magic, that transforms him each night into the wolf. It can be removed, and then Prince Adrien will be free, but I'm positive that Hawk Moth has also used his magic to keep Adrien docile and quiet. Unfortunately, the time grows near where all this will be impossible, and Adrien will be stuck as the wolf forever, without any of his previous personality. I must act tonight. Before he loses himself to the wolf, before his pendant simply turns into a marking upon his chest, I must remove it and free him. I fear Hawk is planning something dreadful with the prince. And I must stop it."

Red turned to face Alya, whose eyes were fiery and fierce. The girl nodded once, and replied simply. "I trust you Red. And I will help you. What do you need?"

Red blinked. Then she smiled. "Supplies to help me get into the castle. A way to leave this room. And a sword."

By early night, they were ready, and Alya watched her friend run out and down the road. She could only hope that Red would make it there in time. The moon was a yellow sliver of a fingernail, clouded in grey cobwebs and smoke-silk as it hung in the sky. It was perfect cover as Red ran towards the castle.

 **A/N: Hullo all. I apologize for taking a break from posting last weekend, I just wasn't feeling up to it. We had to put my dog down, and that sort of threw off the whole flow of the weekend for me. However, I hope you enjoy the "eye-opening" new chapter (I'd still love to hear any theories you may have or had though)! The finale and epilogue should be written and posted next week. See you, and I wish you all the best.**

 **Also, to the guest review by Lillibug; If you see this, don't feel stupid! Red's identity was supposed to be a semi-confusing "mystery" up to this point. It was supposed to make you second guess if "Lady Marine" and "Red" and "Tikki" were all the same person or not! I'm glad you're reading though, and I hope you enjoy the story!**


	14. Chapter 14

It was nearing night. Unbeknownst to Adrien, Alya was _right now_ bartering with the village blacksmith for a small, light sword. In truth, Adrien noticed nothing. His head was foggier than normal, only every-once-in-awhile interjected with sharp stabs of pain, emanating from his heart when a thought of Red, lying in the snow, battered and beaten, crept into his brain. Besides all that, he ate slowly at the table, between Chloe, King André, and the rest of the courtiers. From the corner of his eye, he saw the King's adviser, never one to sit with the rest, but rather lurking in a corner.

Adrien did not see how the sun was setting outside. He did not shake himself from his misty state as he normally would have done, to run to the stables before he transformed in front of anyone else.

On the edge of his vision, Adrien noticed the King standing up, making a toast of some sort. Chloe nudged nearer to him, saying something he did not hear. She did not notice his state though. She only smiled at her father and laughed, along with the rest of the lords and ladies.

Apparently, it was the end of dinner, as the many courtiers began to shuffle out of the Great Hall. Only a few hung back, talking amiably with the King himself. Chloe turned to face Adrien, and noticed he was shivering. She became slightly worried, and her face fell into a pout. "Adrien, darling, what's wrong? Do you need something? You're shivering all over!"

Suddenly, Hawk came striding from the corner of the room. He dipped his head to the princess and then offered his service. "Princess Chloe, it's possible that it might help Adrien if you walked with him for some time. Show him the sunset, it's quite beautiful this night."

Chloe smiled at her father's adviser and then nodded. She offered her arm to Adrien, who took it drowsily, and then the two stood up and headed towards the large window as lilac and magenta streaked the edges of the sky. The buttercup-colored skirt of Chloe's gown rustled as she moved, and Adrien's white tunic flowed behind him. However, Adrien's shivering only increased, not that Chloe noticed. She had gone on to talk about some sort of topic that likely had quite a lot to do with herself.

As the sun faded beyond the horizon, and the thin moon on the edge of the sky became clearer to see, Adrien's senses suddenly became very acute. All misty-cloudings of his mind disappeared. And he proceeded to spasm and drop to the floor, as it felt like a thousand tiny needles were shot into him all at once. Chloe's shrieks of terror and Adrien's gasps of pain mingled together as one. Instantly, King André hurried to his daughter's side, as she knelt by Adrien.

"Adrien? Adrien? What's wrong?" the princess gasped out, tears in her eyes. The King turned to find a guard- there was none. He looked at the remaining courtiers in the room, and barked orders at them instead. "Someone, go get the royal physician! And someone else, go find the blasted guards!"

The rest of the people rushed from the room, and Hawk Moth stalked over to the royals. Carelessly, he pushed Chloe aside with his staff, who gasped in anger. "Give him room, Princess. Nothing you do will help."

King André looked appalled, and helped his daughter to her feet. "Hawk Moth!"

The adviser gave a thin smirk. "André."

The King backed up, with his daughter behind him, and called for the guards once more. He had been stupid enough to not notice them disappear from the hall as he and his court ate their dinner.

Hawk laughed as Adrien writhed on the ground in horrendous pain. Chloe looked like she wanted to run to his side, but her father kept her back with his arm. The princess nevertheless squeaked out from behind the king. "Hawk! What are you doing? What's wrong with Adrien?"

The adviser laughed again, and pointed his staff at the boy behind him without looking. "I have done barely anything. Adrien is just going through one of his comon episodes that you were stupid enough to miss. And I am just waiting for my plan to complete itself."

Chloe looked confused. The King narrowed his eyes at his adviser. "What are you talking about, Hawk?"

Hawk Moth flashed another thin-lipped grin, seemingly very at ease with what was happening. "Have you ever heard of Noir?"

King André's eyes quickly filled with realization. Chloe still looked confused. "Daddy, what's going on?" she whined from behind her father, and then gasped as Adrien let out a low howl of pain.

Hawk ignored the princess and spoke straight to the King. "You know perfectly well that a wolf appeared in the forest surrounding your castle a few months ago. The wolf attacked your subjects, and besides putting a few guard patrols on the road, you did next to nothing to stop it. I did indeed use magic to create Noir, but it was _you_ who turned Prince Adrien into the wolf; you and that traveling girl from the village. The spell would never have worked longer than when the moon rose to when the sun came up, unless he was happier in his wolf form than in his human one. And no matter how much you and Princess Chloe doted upon him, he _hated_ this life. He wanted freedom, and the wolf gave that to him."

And with that, black fur streaked across Adrien's form, and he morphed right before the princess and the King's eyes, into a large wolf. The King backed up farther, and called for his guards again. Chloe's eyes would not remove themselves from the wolf. And still, the wolf lay on the floor, gasping out in spasms of pain. His eyes were bright green, and still very, very human. But soon, they would not be.

Red was inching through the halls. She hoped she was right that the court still ate an early dinner in the Great Hall. She also hoped she could catch the royals before they finished their meal, whether or not it would mean her death.

Her hand twitched, her mind went blank for a moment, and she sighed, shaking the feeling from her bones. There was blood on her cloak, not that anyone could see it. It was from one guard. She told herself it _had_ to be done, but she could not help but think back to that night, so long ago, when blood very clearly stained her pale pink skirt as she fought to leave the palace. _"Who cursed you to kill?"_ She growled, and kept sneaking towards the hall.

Surprisingly enough, there were few guards. It made her suspicious. And then, around a corner, and the double doors of the Great Hall stood. With no soldiers standing on either side. There was a clatter behind her, and a few guards yelling "Halt!" She cursed. They had found her. She whirled back to face them as they banged down the halls, but then she heard a yelp, one unmistakable and not easily forgotten, coming from the Great Hall. She looked towards the hall, back to the guards, and then ran in the opposite direction, darting in through the double doors ahead of her, just in time to ram into the wolf himself.

Noir growled at her, his eyes once again pitch black. She cursed to herself and let her eyes dart around the room once. She had knocked into the wolf just as he was about to make a leap at the royal family. _And where_ were _their guards?_ And standing across from them, hands folded around a cane, and outfit glittering in shades of pale purple, was Hawk Moth himself. He looked at her in disbelief. Noir let out a snarl and jumped at her. Red gave no hesitation as she leapt too, raised her sword…

…And smashed the hilt of it into the side of Noir's head.

The wolf tumbled across the floor, skidded near to Hawk Moth's feet and lay unconscious. The only trouble for Red was that Noir was now near _Hawk Moth_ , and about five soldiers just filtered into the room behind her.

The adviser was the first to speak, with a grin. "Well, well. It's _you_! I would never have expected this, for _you_ to be the village girl Adrien fell in love with. Why are you back, anyways? Do you not know that you are still wanted for murder?"

Red narrowed her eyes at him, hefting her sword at the same time the guards shifted behind her. She glanced at them for a moment. A few of them had moved to Chloe and King André's side, though the King said nothing, and was simply standing in a state of shock. Red sighed and was glad to know that the King did not employ complete idiots.

She turned back and spoke to the adviser, her voice calm and emotionless. "You and I both know who killed Jean, Hawk Moth." She glanced at Princess Chloe, who was staring at her. "I never liked you, Princess, but I had no bone to pick." She turned back to Hawk Moth. "I still don't understand why you wished to kill the princess in the first place. It would have done you no good."

Hawk Moth laughed again. His devil-may-care behavior was getting on her nerves. "Hah! Don't try to turn this around on me, _Marine_. I must thank you, though. You've done as much as the King and Princess, if not more. Prince Adrien never truly embraced the wolf until he met you. But when he realized it was the only time of day when he _truly_ felt happy, he _wished_ to become the wolf, and that led him to being overtaken by it."

Red did nothing. She already knew. And what mattered right now was figuring out a plan. She had hoped that she would not come in contact with Hawk Moth, that he would have to run from the wolf just like everyone else. But apparently, that was not the case. _Why is he trying to make it seem as if I attempted to kill Chloe when he's doing the same now? It does nothing for him…_ She continued to observe the room. No one else spoke. The guards eyed both her and Hawk warily. Then she realized. _I'm a nuisance, and a threat. He wants them to get rid of me so his plan does not fail. Well, best to see how quickly I can get this over with then._

She straightened, glanced behind her, and then quickly took two of her thin knives from inside her cloak and threw them at the adviser. A foot from him, they stopped and fell down as if an invisible guard had caught them and dropped them to the floor. Hawk Moth grinned wider. Marine failed to feel surprised.

The guards came closer to her sides, ready to start a fight at their King's orders. Or maybe ready to start a fight nonetheless; they knew who she was. And she had now killed three of their ranks. She glanced to the side for a moment, but then a soft growl from across the room made her head dart back. Noir was waking up far too quickly. And then one of the guards decided to grab her arm.

Marine quickly pulled her arm forward with a force the young guard was not expecting, and then spun to the side, jabbing her elbow out, and hitting him in the face, where his helmet could not guard him from attacks. The other guards leapt to life around her, the two stationed by the King and princess holding their place to protect the royals.

The two other guards she had not hit in the face attempted to grab a hold of her. They failed. Marine snapped one of her arrows from the bunch at her side, and grabbed the dagger that was strapped to her leg with the same hand. She stuck the arrow in the leg of the guard she had hit in the face, to keep him from helping his comrades. She was grabbed at the arm again by another guard, and once again jerked from his grasp easily, jabbing at him with her dagger and sword, mostly to keep him away.

She heard shuffling from the otherside of the room, and could see Noir getting to his feet. The wolf completely ignored Hawk, as if the adviser was not even there, and instead zeroed in on the fray on the other side of the room. He charged straight towards two of the soldiers. Both had their eyes on Marine. She was only able to push one out of the way.

As one soldier slammed into the ground and skidded to the side, his armor banging around him and probably hurting just as much as it helped, the other was mauled by Noir. The wolf had pounced and rammed into the second guard, digging his claws deep into his side and face. The princess screamed, as did the guard. The second set of screams died off as Noir swiped at the face again with his claws, and bit through the guard's neck. Then he instantly turned his gaze to Chloe and her continuing screams.

Marine gave a hissing yell back to the royal family. "Get _out_ of here!"

Then she raced across the room to Hawk Moth, who had been paying strict attention to the royal family, but now narrowed his eyes at her approaching. She threw the dagger she held towards him, and it only dropped away just before it hit his nose. He scowled at her, and she could see that he was watching the fray behind her, wishing to intervene with his hellish magic, but not having the chance if he was going to stop her from killing him.

Marine heard another scream from behind her- from a guard, not a princess- but she ignored it and flashed her sword towards Hawk's chest. Far too quickly, he blocked the attack with his staff. She went to hit him again, but he moved with the same speed. She held back, and watched him carefully.

"Do you want to know _why_?" Hawk Moth snarled. " _Why_ I've done all this?"

Marine glanced behind her. Noir was gone, as were the royals, and three of the guards, but she knew that the wolf would find them quickly. She had no time to waste on the adviser if she wanted to save both them and Prince Adrien's soul. But Hawk had magic, and she knew she could not best him easily.

"I was not always an adviser to the King, if you remember." He paused, as if to invite her into the conversation.

Marine turned back to him, and gave a glare. "No, you came to the kingdom only slightly after the King took Prince Adrien on as his ward. You were the adviser to Adrien's mother; you offered your service to the King after he conquered her kingdom."

"Yes. But I was not only the Queen's adviser." Hawk Moth looked pained for a moment. "I loved her."

Marine's eyebrows rose, but she quickly steadied herself. If he distracted her, she would be dead in a matter of seconds. It was best to wait for him to be distracted himself.

Hawk Moth continued, his face slowly contorting with rage with each word he spoke. "And King André _killed_ her. It was his one successful moment as a conqueror, though she had a small kingdom, and he later lost it easily. But I vowed revenge. I learned magic from those who followed the God Nooroo, and I twisted it to my own means. Years ago, I was going to kill the princess to torture the King in the same way I was tortured, but when I learned that you were suspicious of me, I took the opportunity to put you out of the castle, and I killed her knightly friend instead. Unfortunately, the King's daughter was far more protected after that. So I waited. And I eventually found another way to attack the royal family. And you, dear Marine, are not taking this from me again."

He hissed out the last of his words, but before he could attack, a sudden thought occurred to her. She softened her face, and laughed to herself, lightly, disgusted. Then, she glanced at him mockingly. "You don't know, do you? It's obvious. So many think the Queen was a fae of some sort, with no husband, but a son. And you, you had served her all your life. And the two of you were in _love_."

Hawk Moth interjected, though his concentration seemed to slip slightly. "Nonsense. Nothing happened between us, more than once..." He stopped for a second, and then seemed to regain his train of thought. "She met a commoner later in her life; that's the prince's mythical father. She told me."

But she saw his eyes, and they were still calculating minutely. Marine laughed again. "Her words describe you. You've been torturing your own _son_."

This gave him pause, and his face twisted in a slight moment of horror. And with that opening, Marine lunged towards him with her sword held high, and in one slice, cut through the flesh of his arm.

As his screams filled the air, she ran. No spell of any sort stopped her from leaving. Under it all, she wondered why she did not just kill him; she _had_ killed innocent guards. But a non-innocent like him? Marine supposed he deserved to die a foul death- maybe he would bleed out from the stump of his arm.

She skidded out into the hall, glanced both ways, and then turned right, following small drops of blood she caught gleaming on the yellowed-porcelain of the floor; probably from one of the guards. She ran loudly now; if there were any guards, she did not care if they followed her- they proved half-helpful in the Great Hall. Her strides were long and high, she moved quick, and each of her feet flung up into the air behind her as she ran. She followed the drops of blood along the twisting corridors. And then, she heard scuffling, and a few "dainty" shrieks ahead. And she bolted even faster in that direction.

Skidding once again into a long hall of some sort; even though she lived here more than half her life, Marine did not have close memories of every nook and cranny; she saw the King and Chloe backed up against the wall. Their feet were on a meter high window seat, not that it helped them, and both of them were turned in the direction of the wolf, where two half-dead soldiers were still valiantly trying to fight him off. There were a couple other soldiers around the room, but none of them could get close. They were firing crossbows instead, every time a shot opened up that would not hurt their comrades. Another two guards were slumped in a corner of the room. Dead.

Marine did not care what it did for her own position. She shouted. "Noir! Adrien! You don't want to do this! Please, please stop."

The wolf barely glanced her way, but the King, and a few soldiers from around the room, turned to look at her. One of them raised his crossbow in her direction. She glared at him from across the room, and he glared right back. But a slight scream from one of the guardsmen in the center of the room drew his attention back to the wolf, who had his teeth sunk into another soldier's neck. There was now only one left, the one who screamed slightly, and he was already limping, with his right arm at a crooked angle.

Marine rushed over, as the guard backed up and the wolf advanced. She pushed the young soldier out of the way. "Go, you aren't helping anyone by being meat," she whispered harshly.

He looked at her, but ended up dodging out of the way anyways, as Noir struck in his direction. Marine countered the beast's claws with her sword. Then she thrust a dagger into his upper left leg. He snarled in anger and pain, and backed away from her slightly. She saw he had a few other cuts across his face and body, but oddly enough, they looked like they were slowly sealing up. Noir growled at her again, and she was able to duck around him and further into the center of the room, away from the royals.

A sharp _"pfing"_ came through the air, and a few arrows bounced off of the wolf's hide, harming him, but not sticking. One of the arrows almost hit Marine, and she yelled out in a sharp curse, though she was not sure the guards really cared. She suspected she would be dead if she was not helping them fight the wolf.

Even though Noir had been hit, he still lunged at her, as angry as ever. Marine was ready, and as she slid to the side, she threw three daggers at him, which bounced off his side… and the pendant that was still firmly implanted in his front, where his marking normally would be. It looked like it was very slowly fading into fur, though. She had to pry it off of him, and quickly. And with a spell. She just hoped she could get close enough, and that she could do it correctly.

Marine ran towards the far edge of the room, and the wolf chased her, caught up, and pulled his claws through her already tattered cloak. She fell on her backside and winced as a short breath was forced out of her. The wolf loomed over her, his claws still in her cloak. Quickly, she twisted, grabbed a fistful of the fabric, and pulled sharply towards herself. Noir fell backwards on his haunches as well, and her cloak was free.

In that moment, she glanced across the room and saw that the royals were still perched up on their window seat. She motioned, irritated, for them to flee, but as if to illustrate his own point, the King softly set one foot on the ground, and Noir whirled and charged at the pair.

Marine only just stopped him from reaching them, by slamming her body into his. And then he was focused on her again. He lunged at her, as always, and she barely got out of the way, a sharp scratch in her side reminding her how deadly his claws were.

Marine brandished her sword, and found another dagger in the linings of her coat to throw at Noir. It kept him back, and focused on her, and she looked for another. No luck. She snapped off a few more of her arrows and hurled them in his direction. At the same time, another few shots from the crossbows around the room came hurtling at the wolf. None made much difference, and Marine could tell that previous scars had already been healed over. She grabbed the last dagger she had strapped to her body. This would be her finale, whether she liked it or not.

"Fix him, or die trying," she muttered to herself. And then it was her turn to jump at him.

Noir swiped at her, and she dodged to his side, raking her dagger through his thick fur and jabbing with her sword to keep him back. She did not want to stab him. He was so very human, and so very dear to her now. No matter how he acted. She acted the same way too, sometimes.

Noir whirled around in a circle, snarling but keeping back. But as Marine moved to get closer, she lowered her sword too much, and Noir slashed at her, ripping open her shirt, his claws digging into her flesh at the same time as they sent her tumbling across the room. She landed on her already bruised and clawed-at side, and it hurt to no end. Breath hissing between her teeth, she readied her sword as he leaped towards her.

The sharp tool went right through his shoulder. His weight bared down on her, and Marine already felt her strength seeping away. He did not let up though, only kept snapping at her, ignoring the sword sticking in his upper arm.

Blinking her eyes to keep awake, Marine carefully freed one hand from her sword's hilt, and reached up to touch Noir's pendant. The odd ice-hot feeling was even stronger than before, but she did not remove her hand. "Suolucarim," she whispered. And it broke.

Immediately, the wolf's eyes sharpened into green. Then he moved quickly backwards, pulling himself off of Marine's sword, which clattered to her side. And then, his fur fell away like a cloak, and there sat a princely blonde, a few scratches across his face, arms, and chest, and an already half-closed hole in his upper arm which he immediately gripped tight with his right hand. Some blood coated his sliver-white garments, and they were a bit tattered, but other than that he looked like an angel. His green eyes shown with worry, and for once, though Marine did not know it, his head felt clear. Immediately he knew what happened, and his expression turned sour with anger and guilt. But he scooted closer to Marine, who was sinking onto the floor, unable to keep her head up.

As he cradled her body with one arm, Marine lifted her hand to his cheek. "Adrien…"

He smiled, light and quick, with a mournful tint. "Red… Are you alright? I'm sorry… so sorry."

She smiled back at him. "No, no, I'm fine. It's okay. And… it's Marine. Call me Marine."

Adrien smiled again, more joyful, and it lasted longer, until Marine began to close her eyes, and all she heard was him calling her name. Her _true_ name.

 **A/N: Well. Only one more chapter. Should be posted tomorrow, with a couple updates on other stuff I'm planning on writing. I want you guys to tell me** ** _all_** **your thoughts on what's happened though! And I'll see you soon!**


	15. Epilogue

Marine groaned. Everything hurt. Arms, legs, sides- _definitely_ her sides. But not as much as they had hurt previously. She sat up. She looked down at herself. She was wearing different clothes- a red, loose shirt, and black trousers. No boots, just her stockings. She felt that her side wounds were wrapped, and she noticed that her arms and leg were both dressed where her old wounds were. And, she was on a bed. It was better than the one in the inn. This room was bigger too, with nothing much inside, except a wooden vanity. Everything else was clay-brown walls and a bit of light coming in from a wood-lined window. Marine could not help but scowl to herself. _It seems that in some aspects, even the King's prisoners fare better than his subjects._

She swung her legs off the bed, and noticed her cloak, folded on the ground next to her boots, her bag, and an assemblage of her weapons, mostly daggers which she had thrown away when fighting Noir. She narrowed her eyes and frowned. Prisoners do not get weapons.

Suddenly, a hollow knock sounded at the door. Marine raised her eyebrow, but gave a polite invitation. And then, Adrien entered. He was wearing simple clothing, more of a commoner than a prince. A black vest, over a white tunic, along with black boots, and trousers. There were a couple silver threads shining in his clothes, but nothing extravagant. He smiled softly at her. She replied with a soft "Hi".

He came to sit next to her on the bed. "How are you doing?"

"I'm alright," she spoke softly. Her eyes drifted to his shoulder. "How are you?"

Adrien followed her gaze, and kept his smile. "I'm good. Apparently… I still had a bit of healing powers left over. Only required a stitch or two. Bleeding had even stopped by the time the physician looked at me. I bet you have some questions though; you've been out for a while."

Marine crinkled her eyebrows. "How long?"

Adrien shrugged. "About a day." When she did not speak for a moment, the prince asked her next most likely question. "King André has decided to pardon you. You saved his life, and he now believes you were never going to kill his daughter. So you're allowed to leave."

Marine's eyebrow crinkled even more. "I killed his soldiers…" But as she looked at Adrien, she knew that the King did not care. She sighed and bounced to a new topic. "What about you?"

Seeing the worry in her eyes, Adrien chuckled. It was a fake laugh. "They don't blame me. They blame Hawk…" He paused. "You… he said you 'found him out'. He said… that he was sorry. Why?"

"I don't know," Marine looked at her hands and then elaborated. "In order to distract him for a moment, to come find you, I made him think you were his son, because he was in love with your mother. I don't know if it's true. But if he thinks it is…"

The prince ran his hands through his golden hair and sighed. "He's going to be hung."

The two of them sat in silence for a few moments. Then Adrien spoke up again. "It's best you leave though."

Marine glanced at him. "Why?"

He shook his head. "The guards don't like you, whatever the King says. They… they don't like me anymore either."

He heaved a shuddering sigh, and Marine watched him worriedly. She slid closer to him, and put her arm around his shoulders, leaning her head against his side. "Adrien…"

"I remember all of it," he started, his voice wobbling. "Not as me, but as the wolf. I still feel him swarming around inside of me, and I still can see straight through his eyes. Everything tinged in purple. I can _feel_ bones snap between my teeth; _his_ teeth, it doesn't matter. There's no difference. If you hadn't shown up in the woods, I would have been lost long ago. I would have killed even more people. You brought my human self out from the wolf, and yet still, _I_ killed. So many. I maimed, and I murdered. I guess I really am Noir…"

Marine frowned, and moved so she knelt in front of Adrien, gripping his wrists. "And I'm the Red Lady. So what? Our names and our pasts do not have to be the only thing that define us, Kitty. I learned that long ago. I've killed too, so many more than I wished to, and so many more than what's necessary. And _I_ chose to kill each time. It's a part of me, there's no getting away from that. But I don't have to let it consume me, or define me, or _be_ me. I can be something else too, I can be myself."

He looked back at her, and she smiled, and continued, holding his attention with her bluebell eyes. "And when I first met you, I knew something right away. On the very inside, you're a good man. I could see it in your eyes. That green, that was your inner self. All the ugly on the outside was not who you truly were. You were innocent, growing… So even if you are Noir, there's nothing wrong with that. You can grow beyond him. You are truly a good person, whoever you are. Truly."

Adrien cleared his throat and glanced at his hands for a second. One hand reached up to tug at a necklace that was no longer there, and he paused. Then he looked back at Marine. "Do you… Marinette, do you want to run away with me?"

Her delighted laugh rang out, and she stood up, pressed her forehead to his, and still gripping his hands. "I would love to, Adrien. I would love to."

They hugged, and as she sat down on the bed again, she tapped his nose, causing him blush furiously. "I like the nickname, by the way, Kitty."

In two seconds, they had two heavy bags full of things. Adrien went to fetch his cloak from his room, and Marine followed, her own ragged cloak skittering out behind her. They bumped into Chloe along the way. The princess balked at the sight of their bags for a moment, and then rushed to Adrien, enveloping him in a hug.

"I have to go, Chloe. I can't be here. For so many reasons."

Princess Chloe looked up at him teary-eyed. "I know. I know, I know. Just… come, find me, if you ever need help. Send a message, Adrien. You've been my family for so long."

The prince nodded furiously at Chloe's words. And then Chloe turned to Marine.

"I never liked you," she started, slight distaste in her eyes. "I always thought you dressed horribly. But… you're stronger than I am. And stronger than he is. Keep Adrien safe, won't you?"

Marine nodded once, and Adrien pulled up to her side. "Of course she'll keep me safe; she's my knight in shining leather."

He smiled, and so did Marine. Chloe repeated the warrior's once-nod, and added at then end, "If he ends up hurt, I'll release all the world's bees on you; I know you're afraid of them." Then, she went scurrying down the halls.

Adrien watched her go. Then he turned to Marine. "You're afraid of bees?"

She blushed, and he got his cloak. "C'mon, Kitty, we should head this way."

The made it out a servants' entrance without anyone spotting them. And then, quite quickly, they were on the road.

Adrien spoke. "Where to first?"

Marine thought for a moment. "We should lie low for a day; the King may send guards out looking for us- no one wants to lose a ward. I think I might know a turtle and a fox who could be of some assistance. And, I ought to tell them the whole story anyways. They deserve to know."

The two smiled at each other again, and then went off towards the woods, and towards adventure. His hand gripped hers, and she squeezed his palm. They were one. And they needed each other.

 **A/N: Well, That's the end. Thank you all for sticking with me, and thank you so much for your support. It means the world! Now, I'm going to take a break for a little bit (AP testing season has me pinned down this year), but soon I'm going to post another multi-chapter fic for miraculous ladybug- probably in two weeks or so. So if you're interested, stick around! I don't plan to stop writing anytime soon. And if you're curious about what I'm going to be writing, just ask, I'll be happy to give the deets. Thank you again, and I hope I'll see you all soon!**


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